ABC’s of Women, Beer and Food: Letter K

With a nod to my friend and colleague, Burc, I love educating on the biggest beer cans there are: kegs.

Content kegs at Fort George Brewing

Kegs are what finished beer is shipped in to stores and establishments, sometimes within brewpubs and taprooms as well. Okay, so you most likely already know that. Did you know there are different size kegs? Half barrel – which is the one we most often refer to as ‘a keg’. There’s the quarter barrel and sixth barrels too. For operators who serve beer on draught, depending on how quickly you sell keg beer, size matters.

A keg is a great way to store, ship and serve beer. No light exposure and – if properly dispensed – no oxygen introduction either. NEVER use a hand pump that relies on oxygen to move the beer out of the keg. It’ll kill the beer’s flavor and carbonation fast. As a researcher I can tell you that many people have bad memories of early life beer experiences partly because they drank beer (sometimes too much) that was pushed with air. No no no!

Just like you wouldn’t leave quality food and ingredients *out* where they shouldn’t be, beer needs to be cared for too. Food and drink will give you the best experience they can when you do your part – kegs for beer is a piece of that equation.

If you value the quality of the beer you enjoy and make, treat it with respect. Kegs can do that, so do our part and use the proper gas and equipment to push the beer out to your glass, keeping the kegs refrigerated as well.

Cheers today to draught beer, beer kegs, and all the delicious liquid a’waiting for us inside!